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Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Weta Workshop Announce Collectibles from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again

WARNER BROS. CONSUMER PRODUCTS PARTNERS WITH WETA WORKSHOP FOR COLLECTIBLES FROM THE UPCOMING HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FILMS, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY AND THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN

-New merchandise slated for October 2012-

WELLINGTON, New Zealand and Burbank, CA – June 05, 2012 – Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Weta Workshop announced today a partnership under which the innovative design company will develop and market a wide range of authentic prop replicas, collectibles and merchandise based on the upcoming films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The licensing agreement grants Weta access to the library of characters, settings, and stories for the two films. The first products in the collection will be unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con at the Weta booth (#3513B) in July 2012, along with a limited number of exclusive pieces that will be available for purchase.

“Weta’s role behind-the-scenes of these two films makes them uniquely qualified to recreate the richly imaginative world of Middle-earth that their workshop helped brought to life,” said Kelly Gilmore, senior vice president, Global Toys and Themed Entertainment, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “This story will transport audiences to extraordinary new places and we are thrilled to bring fans products that capture the artistry and spirit of these beloved properties.”

The Weta Workshop collection will be inspired by the scenery, characters and adventures Bilbo Baggins encounters on his remarkable journey in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, slated for release December 14, 2012. Fans and collectors will appreciate the remarkable craftsmanship behind each element of the collection, which will include collectible statues, dioramas, high-end jewelry and art prints.

"We are excited to be returning to Middle-earth,” said Weta Workshop's Academy Award-winning Creative Director, Richard Taylor. “We have been working with Peter Jackson and the product team on the design and production of the movies for the last four years, and we now get the chance to share our passion with fans and collectors. Our authentic prop replicas and collectibles are created by the very same artists who have worked on the two films, so effectively they come straight from Middle-earth."

Weta Workshop will also continue their incredibly popular range of collectibles for The Lord of the Rings, which began more than 10 years ago. They are now featured in the gorgeous art book Weta, The Collector's Guide.

The full collection from Weta Workshop based on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again will be available for purchase in October at specialty retailers and on Weta Workshop’s website at www.wetanz.com/shop.

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About The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of two films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit. The second film will be The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released beginning December 14, 2012. The second film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is slated for release the following year, beginning December 13, 2013.

The screenplays for both The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again are by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro. Jackson is also producing the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again are productions of New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production. Warner Bros Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television licensing, being handled by MGM.

About Weta Workshop and Weta Limited

Weta Workshop is the multi Academy Award winning conceptual design and physical effects manufacturing facility servicing the world’s entertainment and creative industries. Weta Workshop is based in Wellington, New Zealand and is best known for the company's design and effects work on award-winning film projects, including The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, King Kong, Avatar, District 9, The Adventures of Tintin and The Hobbit films (in production). Website: www.wetaworkshop.com

About Warner Bros. Consumer Products

Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

About Middle-earth Enterprises

The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises is the holder of worldwide motion picture, legitimate stage, merchandising, and other rights in the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. SZC has been producing and licensing films, stage productions and merchandise based on the Tolkien works for more than 30 years. Its headquarters are located in Berkeley, California and its Middle-earth Enterprises’ website may be found at www.middleearth.com.